


Necromancer

by CatTheGrimReaper



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Book 10: Resurrection (Skulduggery Pleasant) Spoilers, Book 11: Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Book 11: Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25089337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatTheGrimReaper/pseuds/CatTheGrimReaper
Summary: [As of 14th December 2020: This is still a work in progress, don't worry. I'm just currently very busy, but I will get back to writing eventually. Thanks for all your kind words and endorsements!]Valkyrie's and Militsa's relationship (Valitsa) explored. Also a more in-depth look at the things that got left out between books, for example Valkyrie's mental state and how she copes with certain things. It does have some canon-story heavy parts, especially from chapter 3 onward. I also explore Militsa's character and give her the characterization she needs. My goal is to be as canon-compliant as possible. Every chapter will feature a different point in time, where in the timeline the chapter plays will be written in the Notes.
Relationships: Valkyrie Cain/Militsa Gnosis
Comments: 13
Kudos: 102





	1. Sharing the burden

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: Before Midnight. Circa 2/3 months after Resurrection. The gap between Resurrection and Midnight is 7 months.

“You know, I’ve been thinking.”  
“Have you?”  
Fletcher frowned. “You know that insulting me only boosts my self-esteem.” Valkyrie grinned mischievously. “Well that means I can continue doing it”.  
They walked along a particularly long and crowded corridor in Corrival Academy. Valkyrie noticed a group of girls huddled together, glancing at Fletcher one after the other and then whispering amongst themselves. Fletcher shot them a lopsided grin and they started to giggle.  
“I can’t believe it,“ Valkyrie said, “you’re actually one of the cool teachers”.  
Fletcher looked at her, still grinning. “They just like my hair. And my face. And my generally pretty cool and witty attitude.”  
“Your hair really is as ridiculous as ever.”  
“Thanks.”  
There was a short silence.  
“So, about the thinking business…,“ Valkyrie started.  
Fletcher nodded. “Yeah, I’ve gotten pretty good at it, being a teacher and all.”  
Valkyrie rolled her eyes. “Just tell me what you want to say, you’ve been giddy this whole time.” They walked onto the school yard, away from the students.  
“I think you should get back into the game. You know, the whole love game,“ he drew out the word love and actually wiggled his eyebrows. Valkyrie stopped, looked at him blankly and didn’t respond.  
“Uhhh.” He faltered. “Please don’t hit me?”  
She continued to look at him silently.  
He shrank back a little. “You know, I was just thinking, you’ve been back for some time now and I think being with Skulduggery is good and all, but sometimes you look… lonely. I know that you have him and your family and your dog, and of course me, but, you know, having someone special to whom you are also special is just different. I know she went on to try and assassinate me, but Myra actually was that for me. It felt warm and comforting and it made it easier for me to heal and come to terms with everything.” He looked at her, expectantly but also frightfully and when she still didn’t respond, he continued. “I’m not suggesting that you need someone to fix you or something, I know that’s bull, but a little help doesn’t hurt.” He stopped talking, standing a bit straighter.  
Valkyrie took a moment to formulate an answer. She thought about saying something snarky, but she didn’t want to be mean to him. He only wanted to help her.  
“I know that you mean well, but I’m really not in a place to date right know. I tried that, just so you know. Back in America, I tried and it… didn’t work out. There were harsh words and tears and thrown chairs.” She stopped when she saw him looking eager at her words. She almost never talked about her time in America and she was being reminded why.  
“It’s not important. What’s important is that I tried, it went wrong and I don’t have the energy to do it again. I don’t even know a guy that qualifies. Finding someone new is also difficult if the whole freakin’ city hates you for killing a big part of its population.” She tried to write the last statement off with a smile but lost it halfway.  
Fletcher was silent for a bit. “Oh,“ was all he said. “Okay then.”  
Valkyrie put a hand on his arm. “Thanks Fletcher, I appreciate it. Maybe I’ll find someone anyway. Maybe a nice lad who can spar with me, take me to dinner and then proceed to eat me.”  
Fletcher gawked at her. Valkyrie wanted to introduce her head to the next available wall.  
“He is a cannibal in that scenario. I meant literally eating me. I was teasing you about Myra.” She glowered at him. “We will never talk about this again.”  


No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t help but ponder about what Fletcher had said every now and then. She didn’t want to be near people, even though she couldn’t deny the fact that spending time with Skulduggery and Fletcher filled a void that had been left alone all these years, growing and festering somewhere inside her. But she still thought that she didn’t deserve these moments of happiness, of returning to the person she was before she doomed the lives of so many people. Despite all this – resisting proved to be more difficult every day. Every day she spent with someone she loved, every day she did something worthwhile just made it harder to go back into herself, into the dark place in her mind that she fled to all those years ago. She wanted to feel happy, but she couldn’t allow herself. She had to fight it every day to remind herself of the horrible things she had done. So, every happy moment was weighed down by guilt. She made sure of that. That way, she could continue to work, to meet people, but she would also never get to forget who she was. A murderer. A liar. Someone who didn’t deserve love, especially not from her sister. 

When the phone rang, she had been wrestling with her own thoughts for several hours but for the first time in a long time emerging victorious. Xena perked her ears up as Valkyrie got up to answer.  
Skulduggery’s smooth voice calmed her.  
“Hello, Valkyrie. What are you doing?” he asked.  
“Many important things,“ she answered, smiling to herself.  
“I see you’re making jokes” – “hey,“ she protested, “so can I assume you’re feeling better today?“ he continued.  
She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to awaken false hope. “For the time being, yeah.”  
She could practically feel him nodding to himself.  
“Excellent, because we have something on our hands that may require a strong sense of humor.”  
“What is it?”  
“An especially gruesome murder.”  
She waited.  
“Valkyrie?”  
“I thought there may be something else you want to say.”  
“What? Oh no, that was it. It is just a gruesome murder. Horrible, really” he finished.  
“And what good will a strong sense of humor do then?” she asked doubtfully.  
“Well, nothing for the victim, that much is clear. But sometimes humor is our only chance of dealing with terrible things.”  
Valkyrie snorted. “You’re the expert there, that’s for sure.”  
“Whatever are you talking about, Valkyrie, I don’t use humor to deal with terrible things. I use it because I am so unashamedly good at it. And I can’t let others miss out on that, can I?”  
She sighed. “So, what are we dealing with?”

They had come across many, many dead ends in their search for Abyssinia over the last few months. But the murder of their last informant was something else. It wasn’t really a difficult case to solve – the murder was without the hint of a doubt Razzia. To cope with the scene was a bit more difficult. Chunks of flesh were missing from the victim’s body. His eyes had been eaten, the parasites had been inside his mouth, his ears and his nostrils (this was the moment in which Valkyrie wondered if they had maybe eaten his brain). It reminded her of the murder of the brother of the boy that got magic from Argeddion all these years ago. Doran? Dorian? Regardless, it was senseless slaughter. She couldn’t look at it for long and thankfully, Skulduggery had kept the whole investigation short. He deduced that either, Razzia had lost her temper with the man or it was a message for him and Valkyrie. Either option was likely, since Razzia was not the most stable person on a good day and Abyssinia certainly didn’t like the thought of Skulduggery being behind her with every step.  
When the scene proved too much for Valkyrie to handle, Skulduggery asked her if she wanted to take a break for a few hours. He reasoned that he knew a lot more about Razzia anyway and joked that her insights would just be miles behind his own, but she knew what he was doing and was thankful for it. She wanted to object, but the mere thought of following the trace of that scene made her want to vomit. So, she strolled around Roarhaven’s streets, in the search for distraction. Skulduggery had told her to stay close, because he may need her eventually, but a not so small part of her hoped that she could just go home. Her good mood had dissipated along with that poor man’s life.  
Eventually, she found an impressive bookstore that could very well have been a library with its winding corridors between shelves of above average height and above average density. She wandered around for a long time, stumbling upon one fascinating book after the other. After deciding on three books she would buy, she gave in to the, in her eyes a bit childish, impulse to look for her uncle Gordon’s books. Although she owned multiple copies, the manuscripts and the rights of all of them, she still felt proud of her uncle for having achieved so much. She also felt relieved that even after all her involvement in the world of sorcerers, her relation to the famous author Gordon Edgley was not public knowledge. Not because she was afraid of dropping sales – she had already inherited enough money to last her several lifetimes – but because she wouldn’t have been able to stand the thought of Gordon’s legacy being tainted by her… well, legacy. She chose one of his books at random and sat down in an extraordinarily comfortable chair, flipping through the pages, reading random bits and pieces. After a while, she was immersed in the story and only snapped out of it when she saw someone stop in front of her out of the corner of her eyes.  
When she looked up, she was confronted with a red-haired woman with freckles, carrying an enormous pile of thick, leather-bound tomes. Valkyrie couldn’t really think of a better word, they were far too old and scholarly looking to merely be called books. But considering who was holding them, she wasn’t surprised.  
“Hi, Militsa,“ Valkyrie greeted her with a little wave, closing Gordon’s book and putting it on the table beside her.  
Militsa beamed. “Hi, Valkyrie! I hope I didn’t interrupt you, but I saw you there and you looked a bit down, to be honest, and I thought I would come cheer you up. You know, I like to cheer up sad people.” She faltered. “Well, I try to cheer them up, but I don’t think I’m really that good at it.” She stopped again. “So, what are you doing here?”  
Valkyrie slowly rose from her seat, putting Gordon’s book back in the shelf while Militsa looked at her.  
“I was just out for a walk around town when I found this store. It’s really nice.” She peered at the volumes that were quaking slightly in Militsa’s arms. “Do you need help with that?”  
Militsa almost fell forward, pushing the books into Valkyrie’s arms. “Thank you so much, I thought my arms would just snap, you know? Sometimes I envy mortals for their ebooks; sorcerers just love their heavy leather-bound tomes.”  
“Well, they do look more impressive than an ebook-reader,“ Valkyrie mused.  
Militsa laughed. “Yes, they definitely do, and I am a sorcerer and therefore love my heavy leather-bound tomes. If they just weren’t so, you know, heavy.” She sighed and went to grab a few books from the stack in Valkyrie’s arms, but Valkyrie took a step back.  
“I can carry them for you if you like. I’m used to lifting heavy stuff. If you could just grab the bag there with my books.” She indicated the bag with a nod of her head.  
Militsa looked at her for a moment, pure relief in her eyes. “You would? Thank you so much!” She grabbed Valkyrie’s bag and turned back to her. “Are you hungry? I just wanted to fetch these and get something myself. Maybe I should have eaten before picking the up the books, but you know, I was so excited when I got the call that they were delivered, I couldn’t help myself.” She began walking towards the register but promptly stopped. “Oh no, I’m so sorry, you were reading here, I don’t want to drag you off to somewhere you don’t want to be. Sorry, I’m being so rude.” She covered her eyes with her free hand.  
Valkyrie had to smile. “It’s alright, really, I’ve been hungry for a while, but I just couldn’t take my eyes off the book, even though I’ve read it countless times before.” She walked around Militsa, waiting at the register.  
Militsa hurried forward, putting Valkyrie’s books on it. She hesitated and went to take the tomes from Valkyrie for the second time, but the latter took a step back once again.  
“Could you take my wallet and pay for that? If I put these down, I can’t get them back into this position again, you know how it is.” She smirked apologetically.  
Militsa nodded. “Of course, no problem, where is your wallet?,“ she asked while the cashier scanned the books.  
“In my front pocket.”  
“In your trousers?”  
“Yeah.”  
Militsa hesitated for a moment before fishing the wallet out. Valkyrie thought Militsa had blushed, but she turned away too fast for her to be sure.

They took a tram to a nearby restaurant, chatting about this and that, the heavy tomes carefully placed on an empty seat, Militsa’s resting her hand on top of them like a mother on her baby’s head.  
The tram stopped and Valkyrie again carried the tomes, Militsa trailing behind her with Valkyrie’s bag. When they stepped into the restaurant, conversations came to a stop and heads turned in their direction. In Valkyrie’s direction. She looked at the floor and tried to disappear behind the tomes. She felt bad for Militsa, who was now probably getting glares as well, just for being there with her.  
But as she glanced at her, Militsa seemed to be unperturbed. She smiled at a waiter as they passed him, striding towards a seat in the far corner of the room. She seated herself facing the other customers, leaving Valkyrie to sit with their back to them. A wave of gratitude for Militsa washed over her and she sighed when she put the tomes on another empty chair and seated herself.  
“Thank you,“ she muttered to Militsa. Militsa just smiled.

They ordered, thankfully without getting snide remarks or glares from the waiter. They continued their chat from the tram, when Militsa changed the subject.  
“I saw that you were reading a Gordon Edgley book.” Valkyrie nodded. Militsa continued. “Did you know that he accidentally delivered proof to a theory regarding the seven principles of Ergokinesis as postulated by Gernod Morg? I mean, he didn’t directly prove it, but his stories are almost always based on real people, and Morg tracked the person on which the Energy thrower in the book was based down and could consequently prove it himself.” She gave a soft sigh of admiration. “I wish Mr. Edgley would have been alive to hear that. I heard he was quite fond of magical theory.”  
Valkyrie sipped at her water before speaking, contemplating what she was about to say.  
“He did know it.” Militsa looked at her, surprised.  
“That can’t be, Mr. Edgley died twelve years ago and the discovery was only made six years after his death. And how would you know, anyway?”  
“He told me.” Militsa raised her eyebrows. “You see, and please don’t tell anyone this, he was my uncle.” A surprised “oh” escaped Militsa. “And although he technically did die twelve years ago, he had imprinted his memories onto an echo stone and so I could tell him when I heard about it.”  
Militsa looked startled. “Really?” she asked. “Why hasn’t he ever resurfaced? The magical community would have surely embraced him despite his state of being. Where is he now?”  
“Dead.” Militsa’s face fell. “But really dead. Darquesse possessed his echo stone and wiped it clean.” Valkyrie couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice.  
Militsa put a hand on hers. “I’m so sorry, that must have been just… awful. I can’t imagine losing someone twice.”  
Valkyrie smiled a bitter smile. “Just another thing that she has destroyed.”  
There was a short silence. Valkyrie knew those well enough by now. When the other person just doesn’t know what to say. But to her surprise, Militsa spoke up shortly after.  
“She didn’t destroy you,“ she said softly and looked into Valkyrie’s eyes with determination, as if to dare Valkyrie to object. Valkyrie looked away.  
“Didn’t she?” she murmured.  
Militsa squeezed Valkyrie’s hand, prompting her to look into her eyes again. “You’re sitting here, are you not? You are still here, she isn’t.”  
“There are other ways of destroying someone.” Valkyrie told her.  
Militsa chuckled. Valkyrie stared.  
“What’s funny? Did I miss something?”  
Militsa continued to giggle, even when speaking. “You just quoted Harry Potter.”  
Valkyrie still stared. “What?”  
Militsa stopped giggling and just smiled. “You just quoted Harry Potter. You know, when Tom Riddle asks Dumbledore if he doesn’t want to kill him, in his office, and Dumbledore says ‘we both know there are other ways to destroy a man, Tom’. I think it’s quite fitting actually, seeing as Harry did also have a dark side that he overcame with the power of friends and love. Same as you did.”  
Valkyrie couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing.  
“You didn’t just seriously tell me that I’m like Harry Potter, did you? And why do you even know that quote by heart?”  
“Valkyrie, I am a teacher at the real life equivalent of Hogwarts, did you expect me to not know Harry Potter?” She started laughing, too, and both laughed together until the glares of the people weren’t because of Darquesse anymore.  
When they had calmed down and their food was served, they settled into a comfortable silence. Valkyrie was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Militsa. She wanted more, so she spoke up.  
“So, what about Corrival Academy is like Hogwarts? Do you have a Dumbledore?”  
Militsa laughed. “No, unfortunately not. But we do have some things that are better than at Hogwarts. We teach our students ordinary subjects alongside those concerning magic. We may want to keep the mortals in the dark as to our existence, but I think it is distinctly easier to do so if we study the same things and live like they do. Blending in is easier if you understand them and understanding them also means less hate. That is something that we try to facilitate at Corrival.”  
“That sounds so nice. I wish I could have gone to a magic school. Although I probably would have skipped it for adventures with Skulduggery like I did with my mortal one. I guess I’m just not school material.” Valkyrie grinned, thinking back to the beginning of her time with Skulduggery.  
“So, if you don’t have a Dumbledore, do you at least have a Harry?”  
They looked at each other.  
“Auger,“ they said together and laughed.  
“And does Auger have a Malfoy counterpart?”  
Militsa thought about it for a moment.  
“I don’t know, I don’t think Auger is disliked by anyone really. Although Jenan Ispolin did have a bit of a racist tendency against Necromancers, as Arabella told me…”  
“Who?”  
“Oh sorry, Miss Wicked, one of the teachers. He apparently boasted about how his father had exiled all Necromancers from Bulgaria. He must have been such an angry young man, absorbing all this hate from his father.” Now it was Militsa’s turn to smile bitterly. “I wish I talked to him more. And not just him. I wished I paid more attention to all of the students in Arcanum's Scholars. But it was Parthenios’ club and you just trust other teachers to keep an eye on the students. Nonetheless I should have figured out that something was wrong. I am a student counselor, for goodness’ sake. I should have…,“ she broke off when Valkyrie interrupted her.  
“Stop. Stop blaming yourself, that won’t make it better, trust me. And at any rate, you wouldn’t be the one to blame. If Jenan was so indoctrinated by his father and the others looked up to him as their leader, there really wasn’t anything anyone could have done, especially with Abyssinia whispering in their ears and a teacher to egg them on. Not only can you not control what somebody believes, you can’t take responsibility for their actions when you have no control over them.” Valkyrie’s voice was strong, because she had a surprisingly strong aversion to seeing Militsa blame herself.  
Militsa had listened with an unreadable expression, which now turned slightly angry. There was an edge to her voice when she spoke.  
“So, you can blame yourself for what happened on Devastation day, but I can’t blame myself for what happened with students that were under my care?”  
Valkyrie went cold inside. “That is different.” She averted her gaze.  
“No, it isn’t,“ Militsa shot back. “Not really. If I had said those exact words to you, would you have listened? Just… believed me?” She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack you, but it isn’t different to me. Teaching is what I do, I am a teacher at heart, and I can’t help but feel like I failed them. I knew that they spouted some anti-mortal things now and again, but we thought it was just them trying to be cool and show off. And the staff also knew that Parthenios didn’t bother holding his tongue most of the time. We never suspected anything like this, though.” She paused and took a sip of water. Valkyrie felt a pang inside her and placed the hand that Militsa had taken previously onto hers now. Militsa smiled at her, albeit still somewhat sadly.  
“It just made me reconsider my view on our role in the students’ lives. We are the ones whose duty it is to guide them and to teach them, not only magic and school subjects, but also compassion and values.” She interrupted Valkyrie, who had just opened her mouth to speak. “I know that some of them are influenced at home or by friends or whoever else. But it is still our job to protect our students, and we failed miserably.”  
There was a long silence. Neither of them really knew how to continue the conversation, but Valkyrie gave in eventually.  
“You know, over everything that has happened to me, I sometimes forget that bad things happen all the time. Sometimes they’re our fault and sometimes they’re not, but we have to deal with them one way or the other. I think it’s admirable that you try to learn from it and better yourself and the system.” She paused and gave Militsa an honest smile. “I could really try to be more like you.”  
Militsa smiled back and for the second time today, Valkyrie wondered if she imagined a blush building in Militsa’s cheeks.

When they had finished eating, Valkyrie insisted on paying for the meal and had to cut the argument that had ensued short by practically shoving the money into the waiter’s hands and dismissing him with a look. Militsa laughed and shook her head and when they were outside, Valkyrie remembered something.  
“Oh no, I never payed you back, did I?”  
Militsa looked puzzled. “But you just paid for our food.”  
“No, no, I mean the time you paid for Omen’s taxi a few weeks ago. I told him I’d reimburse you, but I didn’t. I’m so sorry.”  
Militsa laughed again. “Oh that, I had forgotten about that. Like I said, you just paid for my lunch, so everything’s all right. You wouldn’t have had to pay me back anyway.”  
Valkyrie frowned. “But can’t you, like, put it down as a school thing and get your money back from Corrival?”  
“I don’t think there is a form for that. And they certainly wouldn’t accept the reason student had to go save the world but couldn’t drive himself.”  
“Really? You’d think with Auger around, there would be forms for exactly that occurrence.”  
Militsa chuckled. “You’d think, yeah.”  
Valkyrie frowned again. “But I insist on paying you back. You just told me you want to protect students and despite that you were forced to put Omen in harm’s way. I want to make it up to you.”  
Militsa looked at her for a while, then suddenly grinned. “Okay, if you really want to make it up to me, you can come back to Corrival with me and carry those tomes to my office.” She faltered. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t ask that, that was stupid, you’re not my…”  
“I’d be delighted,“ interrupted Valkyrie and gave Militsa a mock-stern look. “No arguments.”

They arrived at Militsa’s office, Valkyrie’s arms threatening to give up after the tedious parkour through the halls of the school. When she could finally put the books down, she sighed audibly.  
“My, you really are strong. I like that.”  
Valkyrie almost blushed. She grinned at Militsa. “I lift a lot of weights. But if you continue buying tomes like these without me around, you’ll be as strong as me in no time.”  
Militsa returned a grin, but hers was mischievous. “I have better make sure that you are around then, haven’t I?”  
They grinned at each other for a moment, and then Militsa’s expression softened.  
“Thank you, Valkyrie. I really enjoyed the afternoon and I’m glad I got to talk to somebody.”  
Valkyrie shook her head. “No, thank you. Before I met you, my day was really not going so great.”  
Militsa hugged her suddenly.  
“We make a good team, don’t you think?” she asked into Valkyrie’s ear.  
Valkyrie squeezed her a bit. “Yeah, we do.”

Skulduggery picked her up at the High Sanctuary.  
She could feel his metaphorical eyes on her when she slid into the Bentley’s passenger seat.  
“You look better. Did you have a nice afternoon?”  
Valkyrie hesitated a second, then she broke out into one of the most genuine smiles she had smiled in a long time.  
“Yes. I really, really did.”


	2. Casting shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place one or two weeks before the start of Midnight. It is the last time Valkyrie and Militsa see each other before Valkyrie gets stabbed in the chest and has coffee with Militsa in chapter 30 in Midnight. I would advise you to read the book chapter again to get the most out of this.

Seeing her family after all this time proved to be one of the hardest things Valkyrie had ever done. Every smile, every joke and every loving look drove daggers through her lungs. The guilt was constant. It surrounded her thoughts like fog, making it difficult to concentrate on the things that she was being told. It made her reactions blunt and detached. It made her sick.

So, she practiced. Which proved more difficult than she expected.

The world – her world – had changed a lot in the last few years. Many of her friends had been killed and many had gone away, dealing with their own trauma. Those that were still in her reach were less approachable. China was practically out of the picture as meeting her was proving to be almost as difficult as tracking down Abyssinia. Then there was Fletcher, but even he was often busy now, meeting her only for a cup of coffee every now and then.

She often thought about Tanith and how much she missed her. She had gone away after Devastation Day, just like Valkyrie had done. She didn’t blame her. In fact, Valkyrie was probably one of the only people that could even remotely imagine what being possessed by a remnant and then being freed from it felt like. What it felt like to have a part of you ripped out, leaving only darkness behind. Valkyrie thought about that hollow feeling she had experienced when Darquesse had been taken from her. She wondered if it was the same for Tanith. She wondered if Tanith also secretly longed for something to make her whole again, but she stopped herself. She felt weird thinking about this, like she was imagining something indecent. Tanith had gone away because she had been lost after waking up to a different world. If anyone could understand that, it would be Valkyrie. She missed her, nonetheless. It had been easier in America – not a whole lot, but easier - being separated from her old life by an ocean, but when she had returned to Ireland, the ghosts of her past had in turn returned to her.

With her friends being either dead, gone or otherwise distant, she had found one person to be alive and available for _normal_ things. Like dinner. So, for some weeks now – or was it months? - Valkyrie met Militsa at least once a week. Drinking coffee, going to galleries, having dinner and watching movies mostly. Sometimes talking a lot, sometimes almost not at all.

Valkyrie hadn’t told Militsa why exactly she was so scared of seeing her family, all she had said that she needed time to adjust after being away for so long. Militsa probably thought that it was because of Devastation Day and how Valkyrie had endangered her family. To what extent she had truly endangered them, Militsa didn’t know and Valkyrie was not sure if she would ever tell her. She wanted to. There was a part of her that longed to share this sinister secret that weighed her down in every waking moment and was often dictating her dreams. Maybe sharing it with someone new, someone who wasn’t part of the world of violence she lived in, would lift that burden, if only a little bit. But she had never had the courage to speak the words, to replicate her actions by saying them out loud. It was one thing telling China, talking about it with Skulduggery, but Militsa was not like them. Not like Valkyrie. Militsa hadn’t seen darkness like they had, hadn’t done horrible things to enemies and friends alike. Militsa was so… innocent, for lack of a better word.

Valkyrie told herself that she didn’t want to burden Militsa, but deep down she knew that she wouldn’t be able to bear the look on her face. Couldn’t bear losing one of her only friends.

So, they talked about everything and nothing. They avoided Devastation Day most of the time – Militsa knew the story well enough, being a teacher - and Valkyrie made sure to never let the conversation drift to her time in America.

Militsa for her part liked to talk about all things concerning magic. She sometimes got lost in talking about history, theories and aspects of magic, only to realize that Valkyrie hadn’t really gotten anything she had said. But Valkyrie enjoyed seeing Militsa so eager and passionate as it was really endearing to watch. Sometimes Militsa would make a connection from what she was saying to Valkyrie’s magic. She didn’t hide how utterly fascinated and perplexed not only she but the whole magical science community was by Valkyrie and her connection to the Source. When Valkyrie had met Militsa, she had felt pretty weird about being seen as some kind of test-subject, but she could understand the fascination. Now she didn’t really mind any more. If it was Militsa who was asking her questions at least.

When Valkyrie had shown Militsa her magic for the first time, she had had to laugh at the pure amazement on the other woman’s face, like a child getting their favourite toy on Christmas.

“Can I touch it?” had been the first thing Militsa had asked.

But right now, they didn’t talk about magic. They talked about normal stuff, like being a teenager.

“So, yeah, I wasn’t actually there for my first kiss,” Valkyrie was saying while burying herself deeper into the cushions.

When Valkyrie had first visited Militsa’s home, it had not been like she had expected. It may have been the fact that Militsa was a Necromancer that made Valkyrie expect a dark, gloomy house with heavy antique furniture and an uninviting atmosphere. In reality, Militsa’s place was open and cosy, always giving Valkyrie the feeling that she was off in a cottage somewhere. There was a fireplace made of stone in the living room, a designated reading space beside the large couch on which Valkyrie was sitting, a small dining room connected to the half-open kitchen and a study where Militsa worked when she wasn’t at Corrival. Just like in every other ordinary Roarhaven house, there were two bedrooms on the upper floor. The only thing about Militsa’s house that was exactly like Valkyrie had anticipated were the multiple large bookshelves, stuffed with books over books, heavy tomes as well as ordinary novels. There were even some compartments that carried actual scrolls. When Valkyrie had informed Militsa of her subverted expectations, Militsa had laughed and explained that she had lived in a cottage off Edinburgh with her parents until college and that she had wanted to take that feeling with her when she came to live in Roarhaven.

On the living room TV, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ was on, but neither of them had been paying much attention. Valkyrie watched as Militsa came back into the room, carrying two steaming cups of tea. She took the cup and thanked her. It had been cold and wet all day, so she welcomed the warmth of the tea.

“And here I was, hoping to hear a cute story about Fletcher,” Militsa said, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch.

Valkyrie laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t really call our first kiss cute, as he had just knocked someone unconscious.” She paused. “Although, I probably would actually call that cute. It was really cute, if I think about it. That was back when we went to get Skulduggery back from the Faceless Ones.”

Militsa grinned. “And Fletcher knocked someone unconscious? That’s so hard to imagine.”

“Well, he didn’t really _knock_ him unconscious, more like, _teleported_ him unconscious. That’s one of his favourite moves, dropping people. I always preferred hitting them.”

“Let me guess, he said something cool after that?”

“Actually, yes, I think he said something like ‘it’s not every day that I send someone to hell.’”

Militsa snorted and almost chocked on her tea. When she could breathe normally again, she said, “That sounds so much like Fletcher. He’s so sweet, but he can be pretty goofy. I’ve seen him flirt and it was… difficult to watch.”

Valkyrie had to ask. “Did he ever flirt with you?”

“No,” Militsa said, shaking her head. “He hasn’t. We’re just friends. I think he likes women that are a bit more dangerous.” She raised one eyebrow at Valkyrie.

Valkyrie grinned. “Well, he always had a thing for Tanith Low…”

Militsa swatted at her arm lightly. “You know what I meant, you sheep.”

“He hasn’t had much luck with women, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I think he had to have been very lucky to get you.”

Valkyrie looked at the TV while she answered. “I don’t know if I would call him lucky for being cheated on.”

“You cheated on him?” Militsa echoed surprised.

Valkyrie looked over. “He didn’t tell you?”

Militsa shook her head. “I asked him so many questions about you, but he never told me that. He only said that you once dated a Vampire…”

When Valkyrie looked away again, understanding dawned on Militsa’s face. Her tone was almost accusing. “You cheated on him with the Vampire?!”

Valkyrie groaned. “I wish he had told you, so I wouldn’t have to.” She sighed and looked back at Militsa.

“His name was Caelan and I thought he was pretty hot. He was a bad boy and I was stupid and didn’t listen when every single sorcerer I knew told me to not get involved with him. Then of course it backfired, he got obsessed and tried to kill me. Then Fletcher helped _me_ kill _him_.”

Militsa stared at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. It took a few moments before she could speak.

“Fletcher _helped you kill him_?” She paused again, then shook her head. “That is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever heard. And I am a good Necromancer, so that’s saying something. I wonder why he never told me.”

Valkyrie shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe he just doesn’t like to talk about it. I hurt him pretty bad. And now, let’s change the subject. Please.” She looked at the TV again, just as Buffy dusted a vampire. She grabbed the remote. “And the channel.” Militsa laughed.

* * *

They were watching a movie without vampires in it when Valkyrie spoke up.

“It’s your turn.”

Militsa turned her head to her, looking puzzled. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me about your first kiss. If I had to, you have to as well.”

“Ah well, it’s really not that exciting, especially after your story.”

Valkyrie shook her head. “No excuses.”

Militsa sighed. “Okay, but it’s really nothing special. It was in my first semester of college, with a, uh, with a mortal. It was the first time that I was so far away from home and I tried to follow my mother’s advice to go out more and make friends. We met at a party. I think that was one of the first times I was drunk. We kissed and I don’t think either of us remember much of it or were any good. After that, we went on few dates. Then started going out. But the whole relationship only lasted a few months. I just didn’t like hiding such a huge part of my life from my…partner. It was also rather difficult, since I devoted all my free time to studying magic back then. And I still do, if I think about it.”

“Weren’t you still studying at the Temple?” Valkyrie asked, wondering all the while why Militsa seemed so flustered.

Militsa made a face. “No, I wasn’t. I was eighteen when you stopped Melancholia. I may be a Necromancer, but I couldn’t get behind this…madness. I could never let anyone be killed and benefit from it. Even if the Passage were possible and all those that were killed could live on in the stream – all those people would still have had to _die_. And I don’t think anyone has the right to decide who must die so that some get to live a life free of death. It’s just hypocritical – killing so many people to defy your own fear of death?” Her expression was disgusted and her voice bitter. She took a breath before continuing.

“I never truly _believed_ in the Necromancer teachings, anyway. So, I turned my back on the Order, finished school and went to college to become an English teacher.”

Valkyrie was stunned. Militsa had never told her this before. It was also the first time she had seen her so agitated. When Valkyrie had asked a few months prior about how she came to be a teacher, Militsa had made the whole story out to be quite boring and unexceptional. It really wasn’t.

Carefully, Valkyrie asked, “But why did you join the temple in the first place?” She tried to read Militsa’s face, but it was inscrutable. “If you want to talk about it. You don’t have to,” Valkyrie finished, somewhat lamely. She couldn’t help being curious.

Militsa shook her head and smiled reassuringly. “No, it’s okay. My life at the Temple wasn’t bad at all, actually. Only how it ended.” She paused for a moment. “I grew up with magic and it always fascinated me. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to know more about it. Not one particular branch of magic, but all of it. I read whatever I could find, but I could only get that far with books. I was too young to join any of the groups or laboratories that conducted actual research and there was no such thing as Corrival Academy back then.

“After a while I began focusing on the Source. Research in that field is very scarce, but I was intrigued. Then I read the theory that the Necromancer belief of the stream could be just another perspective on the Source and possibly be the closest sorcerers have ever come to finding it. But the Necromancers’ secrecy regarding their research proved to be so impenetrable that there really wasn’t any hope of magic science benefiting from any of it. So, I decided to become a Necromancer.”

Valkyrie gaped at her. “You decided to become a Necromancer because of that? That’s…a bit extreme to be honest.”

Militsa shrugged and smiled. “I was a weird kid.”

“I always wondered why you didn’t just become a magic scientist. It seemed to fit you better than Necromancy.”

“Well, magic science is not a discipline in itself. Most scientists choose Healing as their discipline, but that wasn’t for me.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like violence or the results of it. And I just can’t see myself treating sick people. I’m much better with theory than practice.”

Valkyrie couldn’t help but laugh. “And you’re friends with me? It’s only a matter of time before you see me punching someone or getting punched.”

Militsa grinned. “I really hope I won’t.”

“I’ll try my best.” Valkyrie paused for a moment, thinking about what she wanted to ask next.

“So, how exactly did you manage to join the Order? When Solomon recruited me, he had to deal with a lot of people arguing against it. I only went into the Temple a handful of times during my training, the other times were always with Skulduggery. Solomon had to teach me outside of the Temple, mostly. Not that he minded.”

“The Temple in Edinburgh was always a lot more subdued. Sure, they had their fanatics, like every Temple, but all in all they kept to themselves and studied and researched in silence. They were hesitant to let me join at first, but I got to talk to one of the researchers one day and she must have seen potential in me.”

“Who was she?” Valkyrie asked.

Militsa smiled almost wistfully.

“Her name was Obita Flumen. I helped with her work and over time she began to teach me the Necromancer ways and I became her apprentice. She concentrated on the stream and its link to the Source.”

“But you weren’t living in the Temple, were you? You told me you were an English teacher, so you must have been going to school. Or did you use your reflection?”

The corner of Militsa’s mouth twitched. “No, I didn’t use a reflection. I loved going to school and I never would have missed a day on purpose.”

Valkyrie grinned. “What a nerd.”

Militsa grinned back. “What can I say. I just love learning things.”

“So, you went to school in the morning…”

“and into the Temple in the afternoon, yes.”

“Wasn’t that a bit much?”

“It was sometimes, but I loved every minute of it. And I owe most of that to Obita. I think it’s because of her that I became a teacher. She was brilliant.”

She sighed. “She never told me about the Passage, but I don’t blame her. I was never much interested in the religious side of being a Necromancer, and I don’t think she was, either. She never had a problem with me not living in the Temple and going to a mortal school. In fact, she seemed to like the idea of Necromancers being able to live outside the Temples. She once told me that she envied Solomon Wreath for his freedom. I don’t think she liked being considered an outcast just because of the discipline that was chosen for her. She had been born into the Temple, so she really didn’t have a choice.”

Valkyrie hesitated. “Did something happen to her? It sounds like…”

Militsa’s tone was bitter again. “She died.”

Valkyrie laid her hand on Militsa’s without thinking. “I’m sorry.”

Militsa smiled at the gesture. “Thank you.” She let out a sigh and answered the unspoken question. “She was killed in a Temple raid.”

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. “A Temple raid?”

“You don’t know about that?”

Valkyrie shook her head.

“After the Passage, there were attacks on a few Temples all around the world. People didn’t trust Necromancers to begin with and after the Death Bringer, they wanted to take revenge, I think. Obita was killed by accident as far as I know. The raiders said they just wanted to trash the Temple, not kill anyone.”

There was a long and heavy silence in which neither of them knew what to say. The sounds of the TV drifted by them, incomprehensible to their preoccupied minds. After a while, Valkyrie spoke up.

“I don’t understand how I’ve never heard about this. I was working for the Sanctuary when that happened. Why did no one tell us?”

“I don’t think the Sanctuaries took these attacks very seriously. As far as I know there were ‘only’ a few people killed around the world, in different countries. After what the Necromancers had done or had wanted to do, no one seemed to be too keen to help them more than necessary.”

Valkyrie stared at her. “That’s awful.” She paused for a moment. “I hate politics,” she muttered.

Militsa’s brows furrowed. “I can understand it. With me not living in the Temple, I always had more of an outsider’s perspective on it, just like you. If I hadn’t become a Necromancer, chances would have been 50/50 that the Death Bringer would have killed me. Or my mum, my dad, my family. That families around the world would have been torn apart. Even if I would have been one of the survivors, at what cost? Living forever with the knowledge that your family or friends were killed so that you can become immortal? The implications of the whole idea of the Passage are horrible and the consequences would have been as well. Not only would magic have been revealed to non-magic people, but the wars that would have undoubtedly broken out would have been awful. Just imagine what sorcerers would have done to mortals, knowing that the mortals can’t kill them. Everything about it is just… insane.

“So, yes, I can understand why everyone hated the Necromancers. But what people couldn’t see, and that is mostly the Order’s fault as well, is that not all Necromancers believed in the Passage. Only the clerics and the High Priests even knew about it. You can’t condemn everyone for it.”

Valkyrie needed a moment to process all of this. She remembered being disgusted by the idea of the Passage, by the sheer lunacy and audacity of killing all those people, but she had never actually thought about what the world after it would be like. She looked sideways at Militsa, who was staring at empty space, and finally understood why the other woman had shrugged her question off all those months ago. Valkyrie felt a sudden irrational pang of guilt for never asking about it again. But that was stupid, she couldn’t have known that the story was so tragic. Still, she felt bad. Bad for Militsa. And aside from that feeling of guilt she also felt a wave of affection for her.

Not wanting to let Militsa dwell on it any longer, Valkyrie continued their conversation.

“You said you turned your back on the Order before you went to college. So, why are you so open about being a Necromancer now? Seems a bit odd after everything you told me.”

“I abandoned everything about Necromancy when I went to college. But I had already had my Surge, so I was stuck with it.” Militsa shrugged. “It didn’t much matter, practicing magic was never really that interesting to me, I always had a deeper connection to magic theory. My love for that wasn’t affected by the Passage at all. I just continued studying on my own.” She paused and looked at Valkyrie with an apologetic expression. “Then Argeddion came and then… Darquesse. All those things that happened to you, like finding the Leibniz Universe and discovering this new form of magic, really inspired me to someday return to the magical world full time.” She took a sip of tea and Valkyrie tried to keep her expression neutral. She wasn’t angry with Militsa or anything, she just found it weird that her actions had had such an impact on people that she didn’t even know back then.

“I was just about to begin my second year of teaching English when Corrival Academy opened and I knew that I had to teach there instead,” Militsa continued. “And when I got the position, I decided to pick up the proverbial and literal mantle of Necromancer again. Many of us had turned their back on the Order because of what happened. Some became mercenaries, others just went on to live a normal life outside the Temples. But some stayed. Some Temples have been reformed and the teachings have been revisited and corrected. Not all Temples and not all of the teachings, but more and more. And although I’m not really part of a Temple anymore, my time there has put me on the path to become a teacher here in Roarhaven. Without that and Obita, I could very well still be teaching English somewhere. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I loved my short time as a teacher in a mortal school, but I just couldn’t resist being an active part of this world again.”

Valkyrie grinned at her. “I can understand that.”

Militsa gave a short laugh. “I would have thought so.”

“How are the Necromancers doing by the way? I have to admit, I never spared them much thought since I went away, so I’m kind of out of the loop.”

Militsa’s face turned into a grimace. “Well, not as good as I made it out to be, actually,” she admitted. “You know that the Irish Temple was partly demolished and partly converted to a storage facility, right?”

Valkyrie nodded. “I was there when they filled the shadow furnace room with concrete. That was a bit sad actually, I always thought it looked kinda cool.”

“So, you know that the parts of the Temple with religious significance were demolished and filled in, but the parts that had a tactical use were repurposed for storing goods and converted to an emergency bunker.”

Valkyrie nodded again.

“The other Temples around the world were left alone for the most part, but some were disbanded, like in Bulgaria. You know Jenan Ispolin? His father declared the Necromancer beliefs as illegal there and exiled all Necromancers. The same thing happened in a few other countries, mainly small ones. The High Priests of most Temples were also forced to step down, as were many of the high-ranking clerics. Some managed to keep their positions, arguing that they didn’t aid the Irish Temple in bringing about the Passage, some said that they were forced to stay when they actually wanted to leave before the Passage happened and some just bought their way out of dealing with any sort of repercussions.

“Nonetheless, there were also many who actually felt guilty about what happened and began reinterpreting the Necromancer beliefs. What people tend to forget is that the Passage isn’t the only belief Necromancers have. Most of them are harmless and actually not purely religious in nature, but objects of research, like the stream. Some are even based off scientific facts, which is why I joined, after all.”

“So, what, Necromancers are scientists now?”

Militsa chuckled. “Not really, no. They’re doing as much research as ever, but they tend to be a lot more hesitant to conduct… unethical experiments. In some countries, the Sanctuaries have forced the Temples to give them insight into what they actually do in there and not every Temple had a good track record. This led to another few arrests and further cleansed the Temples of those that were giving the Necromancers a bad name. The ones that still live in Temples and are part of the Order just try to lie low and show everyone that they aren’t a threat anymore.”

“And the raids?” asked Valkyrie.

“Those mostly happened in countries where no action was taken against the Temples. Some people felt as if they needed to take matters into their own hands, and so they did.”

Valkyrie took a moment before answering. “Well, the Necromancers are doing a good job with keeping a low profile. I haven’t heard anything about them in years, I think.”

“Well, they have to. Sorcerers have a long memory and Necromancers were never the most popular among them.”

“How did you manage to convince China, anyway?” Valkyrie asked suddenly. “To accept you as a teacher, I mean.”

Militsa frowned. “I’m really not sure, I wondered about that myself. I always suspected that it was because I was so young and had not really formed any allegiances. I wasn’t alive during the war and I didn’t really have much meaningful contact with any magical faction apart from the Necromancers.”

“Did you tell her what you told me?”

“I did. I think she was pleased that I had been so removed from the Order even while I was still studying in the Temple. And she seemed to like the idea that I wanted to show everyone that the Necromancers were trying to redeem themselves.”

Valkyrie scowled. “Probably because she likes the idea that people think she has control over them.”

Militsa nodded. “She does seem painfully aware of her standing as Supreme Mage.”

“Oh, she is.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Valkyrie thought about everything Militsa had told her and wondered how the hell it had come to this conversation. Suddenly she had to laugh.

“What’s funny?” Militsa asked, puzzled.

Valkyrie stifled another giggle. “I don’t know, I actually just wanted to know about your first kiss and instead I got to hear your life story.”

“I did tell you about my first kiss!” Militsa protested. “My life story is much more interesting than that anyway.”

“Come on, you didn’t even tell me who he was. What did he look like?”

They locked eyes for a moment, then Militsa averted her gaze. “A girl,” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

“It was a girl,” Militsa said, louder this time. “I’m gay.” She looked at Valkyrie, a nervous expression on her face.

“Okaaay,” Valkyrie dragged the word out a bit, “what did _she_ look like then?”

Militsa visibly relaxed. “Oh, so you’re okay with it?”

Valkyrie frowned. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought it would make things awkward between us.”

Valkyrie gave her a confused look. “Why would it? You didn’t think I’d have a problem with gay people, did you?”

Militsa looked as if she suddenly realized something. Her eyes widened a fraction and then she said hastily, “No, no, of course not. It was nothing, forget it.”

Valkyrie narrowed her eyes. “What were you thinking of?”

Militsa failed miserably at trying to act nonchalantly. “Really, it was nothing. I just got something confused. Don’t worry about it.”

“Tell me,” Valkyrie insisted.

Militsa seemed to weigh her options but must have realized that Valkyrie wouldn’t let up. Her shoulders sagged.

“Fletcher doesn’t seem to like gossip, does he? Now _I_ wish he had told _you_ about this. I would have thought it was obvious with everything I said when we first met.” A blush started rising in her cheeks. “I had a crush on you when we were teenagers.”

Valkyrie burst out laughing. She hadn’t expected that. She also hadn’t found anything so funny in a long time.

Militsa looked like she would rather be anywhere else. “I knew you’d be making fun of me.”

Valkyrie shook her head, trying to regain her composure. When she had herself under control, she tried to make a serious face.

“No, of course not. I couldn’t make fun of you for that.”

Militsa apparently knew Valkyrie well enough to look at her skeptically. “Really?”

Valkyrie nodded, still with a serious expression. “How could I? That was ages ago.”

Militsa relaxed a bit. “I was sure you were going to tease me about it.” She paused for a moment, then frowned. “You _are_ going to tease me about it, aren’t you?”

“About the fact that I was your celebrity crush?” Valkyrie nodded again. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

Militsa sighed.


	3. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place 2 weeks after the end of Midnight. Valkyrie still thinks that Alice doesn't have a soul at all and she and Skulduggery didn't make much progress until now.

She had felt like this before. It was easy, really, to let it consume her. To have a goal and to do everything to reach it. It had been the same when Skulduggery was missing. It was almost exhilarating. Pushing herself to the limit, disregarding reason or morals, only focusing on the task at hand. Eat. Shower. Train. Plan. Search. Ask people questions, hit them when necessary.

The only thing that she was unable to do was sleep.

She had needed exactly two days to – for the lack of a better word – come to terms with the fact that she had destroyed Alice’s soul. Of course, she hadn’t actually come to terms with it, it was more of a detached, matter-of-fact acceptance of a situation. She couldn’t allow it to get too close to her. She probably would never be able to forgive herself, anyway. She wasn’t even sure why she should, she certainly didn’t deserve forgiveness. It had been devastating enough when she thought she had ‘only’ killed Alice. But now? She did what she did on Devastation Day under the assumption that it was the only possible way to ultimately protect her family, her sister. If she had known what would happen to Alice – what she would do to her – she would have gladly thrown herself in front of a thousand Darquesses.

It had taken another day for Skulduggery to convince her that they would and most importantly _could_ fix her. It was easy to believe Skulduggery; she didn’t really have any other choice. If they were unable to fix her… she would find a way to get the punishment she deserved. But there would be a way and they would find it. That’s what they did.

It hadn’t even been two weeks since then. They hadn’t made much progress, but so far Valkyrie could keep the frustration away from herself. Years of working with Skulduggery had taught her that these things could take time, although they hadn’t taught her patience.

Right now, Valkyrie was just coming back from a run. The last light of the day struggled to illuminate the world enough for her to see anything. It was cold and the air that left her lungs turned to white clouds. Her breathing was laboured, her rhythm unsteady. She had overexerted herself and was about to collapse, when she saw someone standing in front of her house. She was still far away, and she couldn’t see who it was in this dim light. All she could make out was that it was a woman. She saw her turn from the door to one of the windows, peering into the darkness inside the house.

Valkyrie immediately took cover behind some shrubs, trying and failing to keep her breathing under control. Her muscles ached and she felt light-headed when she ducked down. Considering her options, she peeked out again and her heart jumped when she saw the woman walking towards where she was hiding. Adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream and she knew she had no choice.

White lightning crackling and coiling around her fingers, she jumped out from behind cover, immediately regretting the sudden movement. Trying to conceal her swaying, she took a step forward and heard the woman yell in surprise and saw her stumble back a bit. Valkyrie willed herself onward, keeping her hands raised and directed at the woman.

“What do you want?” Valkyrie barked.

The woman’s voice was alarmed. “Valkyrie! Valkyrie, it’s me!”

Valkyrie had spots in her vision and her blood thundered in her ears, but she still took a step towards the woman who was still saying her name.

When she was close enough, she saw the woman’s face, the white lightning being reflected in her shocked eyes. When Valkyrie’s brain finally realized that it was Militsa standing in front of her, the lightning ceased, and Valkyrie fell to her knees.

Once again, Militsa called Valkyrie’s name with alarm in her voice. She took the last steps towards her and bent down, putting a hand on Valkyrie’s back, trying to see what was wrong.

“What happened?” Militsa asked, her voice tight.

Valkyrie wanted to shake her head but realized in time that that would probably make her fall over.

“I’m…fine,” she panted. “Just…out…for…a…run.” Her breathing didn’t slow down. Her body was still electrified by adrenaline.

Valkyrie felt something cold on her forehead and jerked back. She saw Militsa withdraw her hand.

“Shh, it’s okay. We need to get you sitting. Can you do that?”

Valkyrie couldn’t answer. She didn’t know.

Militsa seemed to guess that Valkyrie wasn’t able to move on her own, so she took her hand from Valkyrie’s back and said, “I’m going to help you, okay? I’m going to grab your arms so you can turn around, yes?”

Valkyrie grunted and let herself be moved by Militsa. She felt Militsa’s arms being hooked under her own and when Militsa told her that she was ready, Valkyrie turned and let herself drop onto her bottom. All she wanted was to lie down and collapse right then and there, but Militsa seemed to anticipate that, because she gently pushed Valkyrie’s shoulders forward, stopping her from falling.

“You have to put your head between your knees, okay?”

Valkyrie obliged.

“Okay, now you have to focus on taking deep breaths. In and out. In and ou-“

“I can’t,” Valkyrie gasped. “I can’t breathe. _I. can’t. breathe._ ” She clawed at her head, digging her fingers into her matted hair. She felt as if something was clogged inside her. Her heart was going crazy, she could feel it beating in her scalp beneath her hands. Her breaths were mere wheezes now. She was suddenly terrified she was going to choke to death. That either her heart or her lungs would burst. She felt something well up inside her, like she was about to cry, but it got stuck halfway. Everything was tense, halted, the motions of her body frozen. Her chest felt like it was made of ice. Different coloured spots began dancing in her field of view and Valkyrie felt herself drifting away from the world, like a picture sliding out of a frame.

Then she felt something else. On her head. On her hands that were still gripping her head. She felt a different set of hands prying her cramped fingers loose. She raised her head and saw Militsa’s hands taking hers. She was oddly detached from it all, as if she was watching two strangers.

“me,” she heard. What? Her breathing was still shallow.

“Look at me,” Militsa repeated and Valkyrie raised her head. Militsa was staring at her. In the dim light, she looked pale, like a ghost. _I’m the only ghost here._ They locked eyes. _I’m going to die and become a ghost._ Militsa was saying something but Valkyrie’s thoughts were so unbelievably loud. They screamed nonsense at her and disconnected her from the world. She needed something to focus on, so she looked at their interlocked hands. Then she squeezed. Felt Militsa squeezing back. She looked back into her eyes.

“Breathe, Valkyrie. With me. Breathe with me. In. And out.” Militsa demonstrated taking deep breaths between her words.

Valkyrie did her best to mimic Militsa and suddenly she could feel her lungs expanding and contracting with each breath, her chest rose and fell in the rhythm that the other woman was dictating. The ice melted when she felt her warm blood rush through her body. She became aware of the tears on her face and the cold air biting at her ears.

They sat like that for a while, probably a few minutes, but time had no meaning where Valkyrie was. She looked at Militsa and Militsa looked at her and together they breathed.

“We need to get you inside.” Militsa spoke softly, as if she was afraid to set Valkyrie off again. Valkyrie was reminded of the way people usually spoke to wounded animals. Which was fitting, in a way.

Slowly, Valkyrie stood up. Her knees were weak, her legs were shaky, and she couldn’t really feel her feet. Militsa’s hands were gripping her left arm, keeping her upright. They walked to the front door. It took every bit of energy that Valkyrie had left in her to set one foot in front of the other. They stopped and Valkyrie was puzzled for a moment, until she realized that she needed to unlock the door. Her right hand found her pocket, found the key. She grabbed it, tried to slide it into the lock, but her hand was trembling. Frustration began building inside of her.

“May I?” Militsa asked.

Valkyrie nodded, let the key drop into her outstretched hand.

When they were inside, Valkyrie turned on the lights. She wanted to ask Militsa to lock the door again, but she heard the key turning before she could even say something.

“You told me that you lock your doors when you come in,” Militsa explained when she saw Valkyrie looking at her.

“Oh,” was all Valkyrie could say.

Militsa put the key away and came over.

“Come on, you need to lie down. Do you want to go to your bed or the sofa?”

Valkyrie thought about the stairs and the distance and the _stairs_ that were between her and her bed and said, “Sofa.”

Militsa nodded and guided her to the sofa, putting a cushion beneath Valkyrie’s legs.

Xena rounded the corner and came stalking towards them now, eyes on Militsa. She was tense, with her tail tucked back. When she saw Valkyrie, she began to growl at Militsa, probably thinking that Valkyrie had been attacked by her.

“Shh, Xena, down. It’s okay. Come here.”

She patted the dog’s head, trying to be calm. Militsa offered Xena a hand to sniff, but even after Xena had inspected her thoroughly, she didn’t take her eyes off Militsa. She lay down in front of Valkyrie’s sofa, still alert.

“Well, you’re obviously well protected now, so I can safely leave the room and get you some water.” Militsa smiled at Xena, turned around, walked a few steps, then stopped and turned back to Valkyrie. “Uh, where is the kitchen?”

Valkyrie pointed her in the right direction, then waited. Her mind was still sluggish, but some thoughts were beginning to rear their heads.

Militsa returned and gave her a big glass of water. Valkyrie sat up and took little sips, careful not to drink too fast or too much. When she was finished for the moment, she turned to Militsa, who had been watching her from a chair, as if she was afraid Valkyrie would collapse again at any moment.

“Why are you here?” Valkyrie asked, trying not to sound hurtful.

Militsa was silent for a moment as if she was contemplating what to say. “I was worried about you,” she responded at last.

“Worried?” Valkyrie echoed. “Why?”

Militsa stared at her incredulously. “Are you serious?”

Valkyrie suddenly felt embarrassed. “I went over the top a bit, it’s nothing really. It happens sometimes when you train as much as I do. You don’t need to worry.”

“Val, you look like a ghost.”

Valkyrie twitched as if Militsa’s words had stung her. _Maybe I am a ghost._

“You look like you haven’t been sleeping. You haven’t responded to any calls or messages in two weeks. The last thing I heard from you was that you were looking forward to babysitting Alice. Then I hear Omen talking about how you asked him to babysit your sister on the same day. He wouldn’t tell me anything else when I asked him. I decided to come here because I was worried that something had happened to you and you almost attack me and break down in an anxiety attack. _What’s wrong_?” The concern and hurt in Militsa’s voice made Valkyrie’s throat close up. She didn’t deserve her concern. She deserved to be left alone.

“I…,” she began but didn’t know how to continue. Now that she had calmed down a bit, the unbearable noise began rising in her head again. Thoughts of self-loathing along with pictures of Alice being led away from her by Cadaverous Gant, of Alice’s dim grey aura, of Alice as a baby, between all the destruction on Devastation Day. The cold feeling of the Death-Touch Gauntlet and the even colder feeling inside of her when Alice had gone silent. It was just too much.

“I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept properly since that day when I was supposed to babysit.” She could feel explanations well up inside her, there were so many things that wanted to burst out of her. But she couldn’t tell Militsa. She would never look at Valkyrie the same way. Since she had learned that she had robbed Alice of her soul, she couldn’t look at _herself_ the same way for God’s sake.

“Why?” Militsa asked after a few moments of silence.

Valkyrie looked at her. Her thoughts tumbled around in her head like scrambling puppies. She realized how beautiful Militsa’s eyes were. _Green is the rarest eye-colour in the world. It has something to do with a lack of melanin. Red hair and green eyes in particular are rare together._

Valkyrie shook her head, looked at Militsa again.

“Alice was kidnapped. She’s fine!” she clarified hastily when she saw the shock on Militsa’s face.

“She was kidnapped by Cadaverous Gant, that old guy who went after me back in America. He wanted to take revenge on me for the death of his partner…,” Valkyrie began and told Militsa everything that had happened that day. She spared almost no detail, told her about how she tracked down Alice with Omen’s help – she left out the part where she pretended to shoot Omen, though – told her about the Midnight Hotel, the young Cadaverous, about the bizarre version of her hometown, the creepy florist, Mr. Hogan, the mud, about the car chase, the house on the island, her idea with the seeds, the battle with Cadaverous, Abyssinia, everything. The more she talked, the easier it got. The thoughts in her head seemed to adapt to the flow of her words and they were not as loud anymore.

Militsa was clearly shocked by the things Valkyrie told her but didn’t say anything. She let Valkyrie talk uninterrupted, gave her sympathetic looks and made consoling gestures and just listened. Valkyrie was grateful for that. She didn’t know if she would have been able to continue had she been interrupted.

Valkyrie cut the story off at the point where her parents had come home and left out everything after that. When she was finished, she felt drained. She rested her head on the sofa’s backrest and closed her eyes. She opened them when she felt the cushions shift and saw Militsa taking a seat beside her.

“I’m sweaty,” Valkyrie protested.

“I don’t care. You need a hug.” Militsa wrapped her arms around her and held Valkyrie tight for a long time. Valkyrie let her head rest on the other woman’s shoulder, feeling herself relax a little bit with each breath. She was still tense, she was still sore and unbelievably tired, but she did feel better.

“Poor baby,” she heard Militsa mutter.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t call you. I… I don’t how I got through the last two weeks. I’m… I’m not myself at the moment.” Valkyrie sighed.

Militsa let go of her and turned herself so that she could wrap an arm around Valkyrie’s shoulder. Valkyrie in turn leaned against her.

“It’s okay. I was really worried, but I understand. That whole thing was terrible. But you don’t need to go through that alone, you know? I’m here for you, if you need to talk or anything,” Militsa assured her.

“Thank you,” Valkyrie said.

“How is Alice now?”

Valkyrie had dreaded that question. She felt the familiar sensation of guilt rise up in her again, threatening to undo everything. _I’m going to fix her._

“She’s coping really well.” Her voice sounded choked. She hoped that Militsa wouldn’t notice.

“That’s good. Although you really should keep an eye on her. It wouldn’t be good for her to supress what happened.”

Valkyrie almost told her right then and there. The words were practically already rolling over her tongue, but they caught. Her mouth was dry, and she decided to break the conversation off by making a non-committal sound and gulping down the rest of the water. Militsa seemed to get the hint and stood up.

“Let’s get you into bed,” she said. “You need to sleep.”

Valkyrie was too drained to argue and took Militsa’s outstretched hand. The moment she put her weight on her leg, it buckled and gave. She fell back onto the sofa and couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

“Look at me. I can’t even stand up.”

Militsa looked at her for a moment, concern written all over her face, then her eyes lit up.

“I have an idea. Where’s your bedroom?” she asked.

“Why?”

“Just tell me, I’ll show you afterwards.”

Valkyrie told her and watched Militsa go up the stairs and disappear on the landing. Valkyrie saw a light turn on and moments later, Militsa came back down.

“Okay, you need to stand up now, just for a little bit. Can you do that?” Militsa asked.

Valkyrie nodded slowly. “I think so, just give me a moment. But I will never get up the stairs like this.”

“Just trust me,” Militsa said with a smile.

Valkyrie wondered what the hell she was on about, but she indulged her and stood up slowly. When she was upright, Militsa stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Suddenly, shadows swirled around them, enveloping them, and Valkyrie felt the floor give for just a moment. When she felt it under her feet again, she was standing in her bedroom, her back turned to the bed. She immediately let herself fall and felt relief wash over her at the familiar sensation of her own bed. From downstairs, they could hear Xena’s anxious bark at their sudden disappearance. Valkyrie called her and heard the dog thunder up the stairs, then she burst into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed beside Valkyrie, sitting at her side, guarding her. Militsa and Valkyrie both laughed and Xena perked her ears up.

Valkyrie lay down and shivered. With everything that preoccupied her mind, she hadn’t even realized that she was freezing. Militsa saw it and grabbed the blanket, spreading it and handing it to Valkyrie.

Drowsiness threatened to overpower Valkyrie, when she suddenly jerked up. Xena shifted, looking around for danger.

“You’re still here,” she blurted out.

Militsa laughed. “Yes, I am.”

“Sorry, I mean, how did you get here in the first place? I never asked.”

A shrug. “I took a taxi.”

Valkyrie’s eyes widened. “A taxi? From Roarhaven? That must have taken at least an hour!”

Another shrug. “I had something to read.”

“Why didn’t you ask Fletcher?”

“I wasn’t sure how you’d react with just me suddenly standing at your door, I didn’t want to involve someone else. I know how Fletcher is and he would have probably wanted to come inside, too. I didn’t think you’d like that if you weren’t in a good place to begin with.”

Valkyrie stared at her. “That’s so sweet. I don’t even know what to say.”

Militsa blushed slightly. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll just let you sleep now.” She turned to go, but Valkyrie grabbed her hand.

“Don’t go. I can’t let you take a taxi this late. You’d be waiting forever. Please, stay the night, I have plenty of room.”

Militsa shook her head. “It’s no problem, I can just…”

Valkyrie interrupted her. “I insist.”

Militsa looked at her for a moment, then sighed. “Okay, but only if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all, there are so many rooms in this house, I think I haven’t even been in all of them. There is another bedroom just across the hall, there should be everything you need in there. I think there’s even an unused toothbrush in the bathroom.”

“Okay, if it’s really no problem. Thank you.” Militsa turned to go once again, but Valkyrie stopped her.

“Wait. Can you… can you stay here until I fall asleep?” She felt childish the moment she had said it out loud, but now it was too late.

To Militsa’s credit, she smiled warmly and sat on the edge of the bed, opposite Xena.

Valkyrie snuggled up in her blanket and felt the weight of everything that happened press her down into the mattress. They were all silent, only Xena’s breathing was audible.

Something registered in Valkyrie’s mind and she got her mouth to open once more and said, “Didn’t you say to me that you can’t see yourself treating sick people? I think you’re pretty good at it.” Her words were slurred, sleep trying to pull her in.

She heard Militsa chuckle. “You are the exception, apparently.”

Valkyrie didn’t answer. She drifted into sleep slowly, only barely registering when Militsa got up from the bed to leave the room. She felt Xena’s form next to her and the last thought that entered her head was not of Gant or Abyssinia or Alice, but of Militsa and how she wished that it was her by her side instead.

Sleep had been an uneasy experience for years now – even before the events of two weeks ago – but the feeling of sleeping through a whole night had become so alien to her that Valkyrie was disorientated when she opened her eyes the next morning. It took her a minute to remember what happened last night and another few seconds to realize Xena wasn’t in her bed anymore.

Slowly, she propped herself up on one elbow, taking in the situation. Xena wasn’t in her room at all and the door was closed. The bedding was in disarray – she had probably tossed around a lot. She had vague, lingering impressions of bad dreams, but couldn’t remember anything specific. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn for her run and she could smell it. Her body still ached, but it was bearable. She took a quick shower, certain that Xena was in capable hands, then she dressed in lose pants and a sweatshirt and went downstairs into the kitchen.

The sight that greeted her warmed her heart so unexpectedly that she had to smile.

Militsa was sitting at the table, reading a book, Xena curled up at her feet. The dog turned her head when Valkyrie entered the doorframe. Despite her tail wagging happily, she stayed beside Militsa. The latter only realized that Valkyrie was there when she spoke up.

“I feel betrayed, Xena. What did she do that you suddenly like her better than me?”

“My, you gave me a fright,” said Militsa, closing her book. She looked at Xena. “I have no idea. I wanted to wait until you woke up, but by half past nine I thought I should probably let her out and give her something to eat. I hope that’s okay, I looked at the instructions on the bag. But since then she hasn’t left my side.”

Valkyrie adopted a mock-stern look when she spoke to Xena. “You betray me for walkies and a bit of dog food? I’m hurt.” She suddenly frowned. “Wait, did you say half past nine?” She glanced at the oven watch. “It’s past ten?! Oh god, I slept for almost ten hours.” She started making herself a bowl of cereal, suddenly very agitated. “I have to call Skulduggery, we were supposed to be,” she hesitated, “working a case today. Excuse me.” Before Militsa could react, she had already bounded up the stairs, leaving her cereal untouched.

“Good morning, Valkyrie,” came Skulduggery’s smooth voice from the phone.

“Sorry, I overslept. I know I was supposed to meet you at nine, I can be at the Sanctuary in an hour.”

“That’s quite alright, something has actually come up and I can’t meet you until later today. Do you have something to keep busy?” The question sounded innocent enough, but Valkyrie knew that Skulduggery was still treading lightly around her. She felt the familiar sensation of supressed shame and embarrassment when she thought about her outburst two weeks prior. She decided to supress it even harder.

“Yes, actually. Militsa is here.”

“Militsa? Did you ask her for help researching?”

Valkyrie paused for a moment as something occurred to her. “No, she just came to check on me. But that’s a good idea actually, she knows tons about magic. I’ll ask her about it.”

Skulduggery was silent for a second longer than would have been appropriate.

“Do you… want to tell her the reason why you’re asking about these things?”

Valkyrie scowled at herself in the mirror in her bedroom. “I…,” she hesitated. She knew that Skulduggery would probably encourage her to talk about this with Militsa. She knew that he was worried about her. She knew that he was worried about her pushing everyone away, especially her family. She felt a new wave of shame and that shame made her irate.

“No, I won’t. I can’t. I don’t want this out there. People hate me enough already; I don’t need to give them another reason.”

“I’m sure Militsa wouldn’t tell anyone.”

She expected him to say something else, but he knew better than to push her on this. The silence stretched until it was uncomfortable. Valkyrie broke it.

“I’ll take Militsa home and then we can meet outside the Sanctuary. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

She ended the call and put the phone on her bedside table, harder than necessary. She knew it was unfair to be angry. She wasn’t even angry at Skulduggery; she was _just_ _angry_. And frustrated. And – in spite of her extensive night’s sleep – she was still just so _tired_.

Valkyrie stood there for a few seconds, once again overwhelmed by the noise in her head. Then she started out of the room and down the stairs abruptly, as if wanting to catch herself off guard.

Militsa was still in the kitchen, but the book she had been reading lay closed on the table. She looked up when Valkyrie came in.

“Your cereal is soggy now,” Militsa announced.

Valkyrie shrugged. “I don’t mind.” _I won’t taste anything, anyway,_ she added in her head. She grabbed the bowl and started eating, pacing around the kitchen while she did so. “Do you want to eat something?”

Militsa watched her. “Thank you, I’m not hungry. I helped myself to some coffee, though, I hope that’s alright.” Valkyrie nodded in response. “Sure.”

Militsa continued watching her pace around the room. “How did you sleep?” she asked.

Valkyrie shrugged again, almost spilling her cereal. “Okay, I guess. Better than most nights, but that’s nothing to brag about. How did you sleep? Did you find everything alright?”

“Yes, thank you. I’m glad that room had its own bathroom, I probably would have gotten lost trying to find one otherwise.”

Valkyrie chocked out a laugh between shovelling cereal into her mouth. “Yes, the house’s pretty big. I don’t think I could tell you exactly where and what each room is. I should draw a map.” She gulped down the last spoonful, quickly rinsed her bowl and put it away. She turned to Militsa, who was still watching her. Valkyrie suddenly felt self-conscious.

“So, do you want to see my uncle’s study?” she asked in an attempt at light-heartedness.

Militsa’s face suddenly lit up. “What? Really? Of course I do!”

Valkyrie smiled and led the way upstairs and into the study. Militsa looked as if she wanted to skip each other step to get there faster and Valkyrie couldn’t help but be excited as well. Militsa’s enthusiasm was contagious.

Valkyrie had left the study untouched by her recent attempts at redecoration. Although she had grown accustomed to the fact that this was now her house, she wanted to keep this part of its history and of her uncle alive. Not to mention that the gathered knowledge of this room was invaluable. She had thought about donating it during her time in America, but it had always felt wrong. And with this new strained relationship between the High Sanctuary, China and her and Skulduggery, she had disregarded the idea.

Militsa was clearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of shelves and books, but she quickly began scanning the titles, seemingly trying to guess in which fashion they were ordered. Valkyrie hung back, content with just watching Militsa. She imagined what the other woman would say when she saw Gordon’s secret room and the way it was opened by an unmarked book, just like in old movies. But then something lurched in her chest. She didn’t want to think about Gordon too much today. Militsa would probably ask her all sorts of questions already, she didn’t want to have to explain about how the room was fitted to his Echo Stone self. She would keep it to herself for now, then she would have something to show Militsa the next time she came over. Valkyrie liked that thought.

“Wow, Valkyrie, I don’t know how you can leave this house at all. I would never stop reading if I lived here,” Militsa said in total awe.

Valkyrie laughed. “I do spend a lot of my free time reading in here, but I’m nowhere near done. Good thing sorcerers live long.”

“I should have visited you sooner.”

“So, you only want me for my books?”

Militsa grinned at that. “Don’t worry, I like you just as much as your books.”

Valkyrie grinned back and tried to ignore the second lurch in her chest that had nothing to do with dread this time.

Militsa continued to peruse the shelves while Valkyrie tried to formulate what she wanted to ask her. _Hey Militsa, do you know anything about repairing a seven-year-old’s soul?_ Everything she thought of was either too vague or too specific. She paced around the room again, until Militsa’s hand suddenly touched her arm.

“Valkyrie, is everything okay? You’ve been agitated all morning.”

Valkyrie forced herself to stop and take the opportunity.

“Oh, you know, Skulduggery and I are working a difficult case right now and I guess it’s just been on my mind.”

“What case? Can you tell me?”

“I can’t tell you exactly what it’s about, but I’ve been hoping that you can maybe help me a bit.” She took a deep breath. “Do you know anything about souls?”

“Souls?” Militsa echoed. “Uh, yes, I know a few things about the soul. Or I’ve read theories and other people’s research at least. Why?”

Valkyrie bit her lip. She didn’t know if Militsa would ever come to the conclusion that she was asking these questions because of her sister. Militsa didn’t know what she had done on Devastation Day, so there really was no connection to be made. Unless she thought it had something to do with Gant? But that was unreasonable, as long as Valkyrie didn’t show that it had some personal significance, Militsa couldn’t possibly suspect anything.

“Well, we are investigating someone who apparently doesn’t have a soul. Or a damaged soul in some way or the other. And we want to help them.” Valkyrie stopped speaking when she saw Militsa’s sceptical expression.

“I don’t want to insinuate that your client or whoever is a liar, but as far as I know, humans can’t exist without a soul. I don’t know about a damaged soul, I would have to read up on that, but the body needs a soul to function. Or rather, the mind does. Without a soul, we don’t have access to emotions or to magic, and without magic, we can’t exist. Not even mortals.” She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “How is the person you’re investigating? Do they seem normal?”

It took all of Valkyrie’s willpower to supress the sudden rush of excitement that flooded her body at Militsa’s words. If it was true that humans couldn’t exist without a soul, that would mean that Alice did still have a soul, in whatever state it may be.

“They are functional, but their emotions do seem a bit out of balance. As in, they are always very cheerful.”

The thoughtful expression didn’t leave Militsa’s face. “That does sound odd… But why did they think they didn’t have a soul in the first place? Apart from your power, there really isn’t a way to perceive someone’s soul.” She looked up at Valkyrie. “Why don’t you just look at them with your aura-vision? You should be able to tell what’s wrong with them, if there is anything wrong at all.”

Valkyrie had hoped that Militsa wouldn’t ask that, but that had been foolish. Of course she would think of that. Valkyrie tried hard to keep anything except for professional curiosity and puzzlement out of her answer, but she couldn’t tell if she pulled it off.

“Well, it was a family member of that person who called us. They thought it was eery how cheerful the person in question was, even in… bad situations. When I looked at them, I couldn’t see a colour at all. You know, every person’s aura looks like a different coloured light, but that person didn’t have one.” She almost choked on her last sentence.

With her brows furrowed deep while she thought about that, Militsa looked as if she was angry at the situation for being so inconclusive. “Nobody knows how your power works, so I can’t tell you that what you saw is impossible, but I really think it is. You can’t exist without a soul. Even Zombies have one – that’s how they work. Their soul gets bound to their body so that they continue to ‘live’ even if their body has died. Maybe you should look at the person again, see if you missed something.”

The excitement she had worked so hard to supress suddenly flared up again in Valkyrie’s chest. Her heart beat faster, and her palms were sweaty.

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Thank you.” She tried to hide her agitation behind a smile.

Militsa smiled back. “No problem, but I didn’t really do much. I can do a bit of research if you want, I think I know where to look,” she offered.

Valkyrie’s smile grew wider. “That would be a big help. Really, thank you.” She couldn’t think of anything else, so she said, “Let me buy you lunch. You haven’t even eaten breakfast. I’m a terrible host.”

Militsa laughed. “No, you’re not. And this room alone made it worth the trip, anyway. You could lock me up in here and I’d gladly go without food for a day or two.”

With all the energy coursing through her, Valkyrie couldn’t help but laugh, too.

After a pleasant lunch in one of Roarhaven’s countless restaurants, Valkyrie had dropped Militsa off at her place. Although they did have a good time, Militsa seemed to catch on to Valkyrie’s giddiness, just like she had that morning. It made Valkyrie feel a bit awkward at times, when she saw the concern on the other woman’s face, so she vowed to conceal her emotions better in the future. Nonetheless, it felt good to do be with her. Militsa was warm and funny, and Valkyrie certainly needed that.

She hung on to that feeling on the drive back to Haggard. It was a long detour, but she couldn’t wait any longer and she didn’t want to tell Skulduggery before she had made sure that Militsa was right.

She left her car at the edge of town, where no one would notice, and slipped into a narrow alley. She made sure no one saw her and activated her cloaking sphere. She felt awful for doing all of this just to spy on her own family, but the thought of meeting them made her feel even worse.

She walked quickly, almost ran to her parents’ house. They had been away in the morning, but she knew that they were home now, because her mother had sent her a picture of her Dad’s painted toenails. Alice’s newest obsession. Valkyrie wanted to smile at that, but she put it off. First, she needed to know what exactly she had done to her sister, then she could allow herself to smile.

There were already fallen leaves on the grass and Valkyrie made sure not to step into them. She didn’t see anyone around, but she didn’t need the neighbours seeing ghostly footprints.

Her mother sat on the sofa in the living room, while her father fumbled around with something near the TV, probably a DVD or something.

She didn’t see Alice at first, but then she came running into the living room, her doll in hand. She was talking to their parents and when she’d finished, Valkyrie’s mother answered. Valkyrie tried to make out what they were saying, but she forced herself to stop stalling for time.

The world grew dimmer as she switched to her aura-vision. She could see her own magic boil beneath her invisible skin as well as the swirl of the cloaking sphere all around her. She turned her head to her father first, taking comfort in his strong orange light. Then she inspected her mother’s aura, equally as strong as her husband’s.

She felt the same dread as two weeks prior when Alice’s form didn’t shine but blend in with the grey background. She almost couldn’t see her at all.

But she _could_ see her. She couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but Alice did have an outline. Valkyrie forced herself to keep looking and just as one’s eyes get accustomed to the dark, Valkyrie’s aura-vision got accustomed to Alice. It was almost imperceptible. Valkyrie was sure that she wouldn’t have been able to see it if hadn’t been such an overcast, gloomy autumn day.

There was a slight pulse. It grew stronger just as fast as it grew weaker, the cycle repeating every second. Alice’s outline glowed orange. So, so faint. But there. It was there.

Valkyrie stared for a few more seconds, making absolutely sure that the light was really Alice’s and not falloff from her parents. And then, just as suddenly as two weeks ago, she turned around and ran. She darted down the familiar path to the sea, not caring if people saw her footprints, but the beach was empty, anyway.

Valkyrie sat on a secluded rock, letting the ice-cold sea spray soak her clothes. She cried, invisible and inaudible tears, until the water had washed them all away.


End file.
